Two or Three is All
it Takes
Matthew 18:15-20
by Rev. Randy Quinn
Let me read that
last verse again: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am
there among them" (Matt. 18:20).
That sentiment is
consistent with what Matthew has presented about Jesus throughout the
Gospel. In the very first chapter, for example, Jesus is named
Immanuel, God with us (Matt. 1:23). And in the very last verse of the
last chapter we hear Jesus make the promise to be with us always
(Matt. 28:20).
It's no surprise
then when we hear an echo of that in the promise that "where two or
three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matt. 18:20).
But what Jesus says
in our text today is more than a promise that he will be with us. It's
also a variation of a popular Jewish thought circulating from that era
in time - although, like the gospels, it wasn't put into writing until
a century or so later. Listen to one translation of the Rabbinic
saying:
If two sit together
and words of the Law are between them, the Divine Presence rests
between them.
In other words,
whenever two people discuss the scriptures, God is there.
In meetings - public
meetings, club meetings, even church meetings - we often make
reference to a quorum. And depending upon the organization, the size
of the quorum varies. One of the most commonly used definitions is
more than half of the members, such as 4 out of 7. (For United
Methodists, a quorum is defined as anyone who is present at a properly
announced meeting.)
For Jews, however, a
congregational quorum consisted of ten men - although more liberal
Jews today might say ten people or members of ten households. This
Rabbinic saying makes the radical suggestion that God's presence is
not limited to the congregation. Even if there is no quorum, the
Divine Presence can be honored whenever two people discuss the
scriptures.
The variation Jesus
offers, pushes the story away from God's presence, however, and makes
it clear that we cannot experience that presence on our own. In
recording this scene for us, I believe Matthew wants us to know the
important thing is that there needs to be a quorum of at least two - a
reminder that we not only cannot be the church on our own; we cannot
experience the presence of Christ our own, either.
You may have heard
the story about the man who stopped attending church. The reasons he
stopped attending were not as important as his absence. After many
months had passed, in the dead of winter, the pastor called on the
man.
Because it was so
cold outside, the man reluctantly invited the pastor into his small
living room. No words were spoken. Both men knew what this was about.
As they sat there in
silence, the pastor went over to the fireplace and pulled an ember
from the fire and placed it on the hearth. In a short amount of time,
the ember began to fade and stopped producing any heat.
At that point the
pastor walked back over to the fireplace and returned the charred
piece of wood to the fire - and it was immediately lit up.
Recognizing the
simple truth of the unspoken sermon, the man interrupted the silence,
thanked the pastor for the visit and assured him that he would be in
church on Sunday, and showed him to the door.
While many people
may believe they can be a church unto themselves, Jesus is telling us
we need each other. As one bumper sticker-like quote put it,
"Christians are like grapes - they grow in clusters." We need a
congregation. It doesn't take much to create it, but it does take
intentionality.
It's also true that
whenever there are two or three people, there is also the possibility
of conflict and disagreement. One of the resources I use with couples,
in fact, says that whenever there are two people there will be
conflict. The secret to success is learning how to manage the conflict
so that - in the context of marriage - the couple is not fighting
against one another, but with one another and for
the marriage.
Unfortunately,
destructive conflict has been too common in the history of the church.
You may have heard the story of the man who was stranded on a deserted
island in the pacific. After almost two years, a ship came by and he
was able to catch their attention.
When the rescue boat
arrived from the cruise ship, they noticed he had three buildings on
the island, so they asked him what they were.
"Well," he
began, "this first one is my house. It's where I eat and sleep. This
second one is the church I attend."
And what about the
third building, they asked.
"Oh, that's the
church I used to attend."
You know as well as
I do that some churches are known for their bickering (although I have
seen no evidence of that here and I have been told this congregation
deals with conflict well.) But I spoke with a man recently who no
longer attends church because of the conflicts he had witnessed and
experienced in a different church. Unfortunately, his was not the only
time I've heard that kind of response. In order to avoid the conflict,
people often choose to be a Christian "on their own."
They let the
conflict defeat them, rather than allowing the conflict to help them
grow in their faith. You see, I am convinced that conflict can be a
source of growth if we learn how to listen to one another and find
what may be an even better answer to the problems we're trying to
solve.
A couple of months
ago, my sister sent me one of those stories that go around the
internet. I don't know how many of you have read it before, but it's
the story of a mother and daughter talking about how difficult life
has been.
The mother's
response includes a visual parable. She puts water in three pots and
brings them to a boil. In one, she places a carrot. In another, she
places an egg. In the last one, she places coffee grinds.
After a while, she
removes the pans from the stove and offers the insight that some of us
are like carrots. When we encounter difficulties, we let it defeat us
and we become limp. We lose our will to fight and give up or give in.
In marriage, that kind of an attitude will eventually destroy the
relationship. When we abdicate our responsibilities in the church, we
do the same thing.
Other people are
like eggs, though. When they encounter difficult times or difficult
people, they become hardened. Like the man who no longer attends
church, they come away from the conflict hardened. In marriage, that
can spell the end of the relationship, too. We all know people who are
"strong willed," and sometimes find it difficult to work with them
- in or out of the church.
The goal, the mother
continues, is to become like the coffee. When the coffee encounters
stressful circumstances, it changes the water. The water doesn't
change the coffee; the coffee changes the water. In a marriage, that
kind of an attitude will strengthen the relationship. Churches with
people like that see the opportunities for ministry all around and
find ways to address needs rather than bemoan their existence.
In telling us the
story of Jesus the way he does, I believe Matthew is telling us how to
deal with conflict in the church with an eye toward reconciliation - because we need our brothers and sisters as much as they need us. You
see, without each other, we cannot experience the presence of Christ.
"For where two or
three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matt. 18:20).
The truth is that I
am an introvert. By that, I mean I draw strength and energy from being
alone. Being with people, for me, is work. And the more people I
encounter on a given day, the more tired I am at the end of the day.
It's part of why I need to take a nap on Sunday afternoons - and the
larger the crowd in church, the longer my nap needs to be.
People like me like
to take walks in the woods or go fishing on the banks of a quiet
stream. They enjoy the serenity that comes from the solitary setting
of places like Thoreau's Walden Pond. (For those who have not read his
story, Thoreau left the "city" to an isolated location on the far side
of Walden Pond. There he spent the next two years with limited
interaction with other human beings. There he learned the importance
of hospitality as well as the many delights of God's creation.)
But even Thoreau
knows you cannot be fully human in isolation; nor can you be a true
Christian on your own. We need each other.
Jesus is outlining a
means by which we can be reconciled with people when there are
differences. The process is remarkably similar to the methods that
psychiatrists and therapists employ. It begins by confronting the
person with whom we have a disagreement - rather than telling someone
else to talk to them for us, rather than recruiting people to "take
sides" in the dispute, taking away any hope of having open and frank
discussions (Matt. 18:15).
The next step is to
include others in the process - so that there is clarity of the
concerns as well as witnesses to the attempt to become reconciled
(Matt. 18:16). If that doesn't work, the group becomes larger before
any drastic measures are taken (Matt. 18:17).
Throughout the
description of this process, however, is the priority given to
reconciliation (Matt. 18:15). This is not about winning people over to
our way of thinking or being coerced into an action we don't want to
take. The purpose - the sole purpose - is to restore the relationship.
Because "where two
or three are gathered" in the name of Jesus, he is there with them
(Matt. 18:20). You see, the whole purpose of reconciliation is to
evoke and instill the importance of having brothers and sisters - so
that we may experience the holy presence of Christ - because Christ is
to be found where two or three are gathered.
Since there are more
than two of us here today, Christ is present.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Selected Bibliography
Barnett, Tanya and Tom Wilson. Radical Gratitude (Weekly
reflections on responding to God's abundant grace). www.umfnw.org
September 1, 2008 (Pentecost + 17, Year A).
Funk, Robert W.; Roy W. Hoover; the Jesus Seminar. The Five
Gospels (The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus). New
York: Macmillan, 1993.
Hare, Douglas R.A. Matthew (Interpretation: A Bible
Commentary for Teaching and Preaching). Louisville: John Knox,
1993.
Jacobsen, David Schnasa. "Proper 18." Preaching (Word &
Witness). September 4, 2005 (Vol. 05:5).
Mosser, David Neil. "Proper 18." Preaching (Word and
Witness). September 8, 2002 (Vol. 02:5).
Patte, Daniel. The Gospel According to Matthew (A Structural
Commentary on Matthew's Faith). Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987.
Quinn, Randy L. "Bound for Glory." Sermon preached September 5, 1999
at Fowler (Spokane, WA); based on Matthew 18:10-20.
_____. "Bound Together in Christ." Sermon preached September 4, 2005
at McLouth-Winchester; based on Matthew 18:10-20.
_____. "Seeking the Lost." Sermon preached September 5, 1993 at Allen
Blanchard (Bow, WA); based on Matthew 18:15-20.
Schweizer, Eduard (translated by David E. Green). The Good News
According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox, 1975.
Soards, Marion; Thomas Dozeman; Kendall McCabe. Preaching the
Revised Common Lectionary B (Year A: After Pentecost 2).
Nashville: Abingdon, 1992.
Wingeier, Douglas E., editor. Keeping Holy Time (Studying
the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A). Nashville: Abingdon, 2001.
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